by Clare Appleyard, founder of Katannuta Diamonds
We live in an information economy, where you can find virtually anything you want, somewhere on the internet. Want to learn how to bake a cake? There’s a recipe website for that. Want to learn how to change the battery in your computer? There’s a YouTube video for that. Want to learn how to meditate? There’s an app for that.
Sometimes though, it’s hard to wade through the virtual reams of information looking for what you need. What are the books that will make you think differently about things? What are the podcasts that will feed your brain? What YouTube channels will inspire and motivate you.
It’s always fascinating to see what other entrepreneurs are reading, watching and listening to, so here are my top picks in each category. I hope that they help you as much as they have helped (and are still helping) me.
Books
1. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
An easy read showing how small actions build up incrementally over time and compound, leading to exponential results. Conversely, small inactions also compound exponentially, leading to failure. The daily difference between success and failure is so minute you won’t even notice it, but over years, the difference is immense. By following the Slight Edge principles daily, you can put yourself ahead of everybody else.
2. Deep Work by Cal Newport
Technology has revolutionized our lives in ways innumerable. But technology is accompanied by disruption – and not in the context of “Uber disrupted the taxi industry”. Our daily workflow is constantly being disrupted by a series of beeps and buzzes as our laptops, emails and smartphones vie for our attention. Every interruption pulls us away from what we should be doing. “Deep Work” shows just how little time we spend doing productive work, and how we can change that.
3. Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins is one of the world’s great personal development coaches – some people love him; some people hate him. Whichever category he falls in for you, it’s hard to question his results. “Unlimited Power” is his first book and introduces you to the basic theories of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) which, when applied, can improve all aspects of your life.
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
There are some books, no matter how old they are, that ring true to this day. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is one of those books. Published in 1936, it is packed full of ageless wisdom on dealing with people. Even though we now live in a digital age, humans haven’t changed much and if you’re running a business, you’re dealing with people. Knowing how to best deal with people (be they employees, clients or suppliers) will help give you a successful edge in business.
5. Mindpower by John Kehoe
It’s hard to comprehend how much our mind controls every aspect of our lives. Even when we think we’re consciously making decisions; our brain is heuristics to help us make decisions faster. Very few of us stop to think about the internal chatter in our mind and how it is affecting us daily. “Mindpower” is a simple, yet powerful book that will teach you how to use your mind in a more powerful and positive way.
6. The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success by Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy is one of the world’s foremost experts on business success and sales (the two go hand-in-hand). This book will not only introduce you to some common-sense laws (such as The Law of Attraction and The Law of Cause & Effect) but some lesser known principles (such as The Law of Perverse Motivation and The Law of the Customer), all of which are essential to understanding your path to business success. Categorized into the Laws of Life, Success, Business, Leadership, Money, Selling, Negotiating and Time Management, this is a book you will refer back to again and again.
7. Influence by Robert Cialdini
Long before the era of “Social Media Influencers”, there was Dr Robert Cialdini. As a self-confessed “easy target for the pitches of peddlers, fund-raisers and operators”, he wanted to understand what factors cause one person to say yes to another person. Over a course of 3 years he actively participated and observed the tactics practiced by “compliance practitioners” and discovered 6 basic categories, including social proof and scarcity. Even though the book is now 36 years old, it is packed full of relevant insight for today’s businesswoman.
Podcasts
8. Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam
Human behaviour is nothing short of fascinating, and by getting a deeper understanding of what drives your fellow humans, you can learn valuable skills for your business. The Hidden Brain podcast covers topics as diverse as habits, memory, decision making and the war for our attention. By combining storytelling with expert interviews, Hidden Brain will keep you learning.
9. Choiceology with Katy Milkman
Choiceology shares stories of irrational decision making, and explores the lessons of behavioral economics, exposing the psychological traps that lead us to make expensive mistakes. Milkman interviews leading authors, economists and behavioral scientists in a quest to help you avoid the everyday errors that will affect your life – and business.
10. Riël Malan – Shapers, Makers, Builders and Breakers
There is no shortage of American podcasts aimed an entrepreneurs and business owners. It’s refreshing therefore, to have South African serial entrepreneur Riël Malan share South African stories and lessons. From the visionary “Shapers” and the creative “Makers”, to strategic “Builders” and controversial “Breakers”, these interviews will give you deep insights into the minds of successful African entrepreneurs.
11. The Tony Robbins Podcast
The Tony Robbins podcast has the man himself sharing proven strategies and tactics to help you achieve massive results in all areas of your life. With excerpts from his global live events, to personal interviews with global experts and students such as Conor MacGregor, the Tony Robbins podcast will not just motivate you, but encourage you to ask key questions of your own life and business.
12. The Matt Brown Show
Another great local podcast, the Matt Brown Show sees host Matt Brown interviewing local authors, entrepreneurs and trailblazers. With advice from scaling your business to becoming a millionaire by 22, and interviews that give insight into South Africa’s booming informal trade economy, there is home-grown wisdom here that is relevant to all of us.
YouTube Channels (Videos)
13. TED + TEDx
The TED and TEDx YouTube channels are some of the most popular channels online, and with good reason. Their tagline of “Ideas Worth Spreading” gives you a good grasp of what you’ll want to do after watching one of the phenomenal speakers – share the video with everybody. A must-watch talk is Simon Sinek’s “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” (the video that led to the book “Start with Why”) as is Amy Cuddy’s “Your Body Language may Shape Who You Are”. It’s a veritable rabbit hole of fascinating learnings, far more productive than calling down the social media scroll hole.
14. Habits of the Wealthy
Like many YouTube channels, this channel doesn’t create original content, but instead shares talks and speeches of some of the greatest personal development trainers ever. With speakers like Les Brown and Jim Rohn this is the perfect channel to put on in the background, so their words of wisdom will seep into your subconscious.
15. Tony Robbins
He’s on the book list. He’s on the podcast list. And now he’s on the video list. That should be motivation enough to investigate his work.
16. Mel Robbins
Absolutely no relation to Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins skyrocketed to fame with her “5 second rule”. A simple, no-nonsense countdown that has you doing what you don’t want to do, with minimal resistance. Mel is a down-to-earth, sassy and funny lady that cuts to the chase with a smile on her face.
17. Robin Sharma
Robin Sharma is one of the world’s best storytellers and his book “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” is a personal development best-seller. Robin’s YouTube channel features an extensive library of both bite-size and longer format videos with all you need to master not just life skills, but business skills too.
18. Mindset2Study
This is another channel that curates motivation speeches and sound bites, overlaying them on videos and photos, but don’t be fooled by the site title. These weekly videos will get you into the right mindset every time you watch them. From short 5-minute bite-sized videos to longer full talks (by people like Simon Sinek and Jack Ma), starting your day by watching one of these videos will fire you up for day of productive entrepreneurship.
I hope that you’ll find some value in these suggestions. Please do reach out to me on social media with suggestions of your own – I’d love to know what you’re reading, watching and listening to in 2020.
Clare Appleyard is the co-founder of Katannuta Diamonds, a bespoke jewellery manufacture company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Formed in 2007, Katannuta Diamonds has established itself as one of South Africa’s leading independent jewellers, with a strong reputation for excellent service, quality workmanship and competitive prices. Graduating from UCT with a Master’s degree in geology, Clare gained valuable diamond experience working for global giant De Beers, before expanding and developing her interest, knowledge and skills into the world of polished diamonds and gemstones. Passionate about diamonds, gems and consumer education, Clare is building a strong, proudly South African brand and is committed to helping fellow female entrepreneurs do the same.
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